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Turkey Releases Croatian Captain Jailed for Cocaine on Bulk Carrier
Turkey released the Croatian Captain Marko Bekavac, who was earlier sentenced to 30 years in jail after authorities found cocaine aboard the bulk carrier he was commanding.
The captain and his family were shocked by the sudden move, for which they thanked the Croatian government.
The 62-year-old captain was released and was placed on a flight to Croatia almost 2 years after he was first detained and 10 months after he was convicted.
However, the first officer, Ali Albokhari, is still in a Turkish prison and is also sentenced to 30 years and is awaiting an appeal.
The case started in October 2023 when the Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier Phoenician M came to the Eregli Port, Turkey, from Barranquilla, Colombia.
During a search, Turkish officials found 137 kg of cocaine hidden in the cargo, after which they arrested the ship’s captain, 8 crew and the first officer, who were then acquitted. The ship was released later.
The captain said that he reported poor security on the ship when it was in Colombia and said he had asked for it to be increased.
Before the ship left, Colombian authorities found a small amount of cocaine in the aft peak tank, and after the ship arrived in Turkey, the captain reported this to the authorities.
He was prosecuted under the laws of drug trafficking. The Turkish authorities said he was responsible as the ship’s master, and also the first officer was accountable for the security of the vessel and the drugs found onboard.
His family in Croatia met President Zoran Milanovi and appealed to him and other ministers.
Bekavac remained a seafarer for 44 years and asserted that he is innocent and that no information was shown in court to link him to the cocaine found on the ship.
He told his family that he might be taken to a different prison, but was suddenly freed.
Several maritime organisations and groups said that this case is another example of seafarers being criminalized without adequate evidence.